


Mild vs Wild

by Cornerofmadness



Series: Vacation [5]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24701665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Gil is contemplating his sanity and life choices on this leg of the ‘family’ vacation with him, Jackie and Malcolm.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo/Jackie Arroyo
Series: Vacation [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768588
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	Mild vs Wild

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Not mine, Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver owns it
> 
> **Notes:** Written for the Get Your Words Out Yahtzee picture prompt of a mountainous river and the allbingo prompt of sunrise/sunset.

“Mild is for babies!” Jackie and Malcolm had taunted him when they selected their river rafting trip.

Helmeted, life-jacket riding his armpits, Gil wanted to be a baby. At least he’d won the battle of ‘we’ve never white water rafted before so something labeled very-wild or wicked-wild was a _bad_ idea,’ along with the battle labeled, ‘It’s called the Dead River for a reason, Malcolm, we’re not trying it.’ As gravity slammed them into the foaming water, Gil grabbed the loops of Malcolm’s life-vest as the boy whooped, not caring he’d nearly been catapulted from the raft. Gil was not explaining how Malcolm died in a Maine river to Jessica.

They all screamed as the hydraulics caught their raft, whipping it around. Their guide gleefully told them how to paddle free. At the river’s mercy, they climbed a huge wall of white water and everyone in the raft laughed and howled as they crashed back down. With only a little rubber and air between them and the rocks, Gil decided his job wasn’t half this scary. Jackie and Malcolm proved fearless. As the raft slowed in an eddy, she pulled him into a kiss, their helmets clicking. At least he’d die knowing she loved him. Malcolm rolled his eyes at them.

To Gil’s surprise, no one died. They had a blast. After an early dinner, they were back in a boat. This was his surprise for Malcolm and Jackie. They had no idea they were going on a moose photo safari until they were out on the lake. The canoe ride was much more placid. Jackie took video as their guide glided them across the water. Malcolm grabbed Gil’s wrist hard, pointing frantically with the other hand. Eyes huge, he mouthed ‘moose!’

“That’s a cow and her juvenile who’s nearly full grown now,” their guide whispered as they took pictures. 

They saw more moose, including a heavily antlered male. Gil wondered if he and Jackie should move somewhere as beautiful as this but would they miss the city? Probably. Still, the sounds and sights here called like a siren-song. Malcolm sat as peaceful as Gil had ever seen him. By the time the sun began tucking itself in for the night, they sat on their cabin’s porch, his limbs jellied from exhaustion. He called Jess.

“Sorry, can’t send valium from here,” she greeted him, and he laughed.

“We went white water rafting.”

“And you called to tell me you tossed the feral child in the river?”

“No but he nearly bounced there more than once.”

He turned her over to her son to talk and afterwards let Malcolm stay up late. He told them a story about his father convincing Jessica to camp once, which judging by Malcolm’s animated retelling of Jess’s antics had to have been hysterical. Finally, they got him to lie down in the bed under the loft, even though he wanted loft bed. All Gil could see was him pitching over the edge after a nightmare. Malcolm went to sleep in full sight of the stuffed moose he bought Ainsley. He also bought a cute copper moose pendant that Jess might wear for his sake.

Darkness shrouded the cabin when the screaming started. Gil rolled out of bed, instantly alert even as Jackie blinded him with the bedside light. They both stumbled down the stairs from the loft to find Malcolm puddled in the far corner under the loft trying to become one with the wall as cries bubbled out of him. Gil squatted down and Malcolm flew into his arms, knocking him onto his backside. The twelve-year-old couldn’t stop screaming as Gil held him tight. Jackie knelt down and embraced them both, cocooning Malcolm between them.

“Shh, Malcolm it’s all right. What’s wrong?” Gil soothed a hand over Malcolm’s hair.

“F-f-face in the window,” he stammered, his teeth beginning to chatter.

Gil glanced over to the window very near the bed. The curtains were drawn. “Malcolm, no one’s there.”

“It was just a bad dream, sweetie,” Jackie said.

He shook his head. “She’s out there! Heard her fingernails on the glass!”

“That was probably just a tree branch.” But Gil knew no tree was close enough. 

“No, she’s waiting for me in the woods. The girl in the box, she’s there.”

“You know that she’s just a dream, and even if she were real, she’d be in New York, hundreds of miles from here, kiddo.” Gil rubbed his back but Malcolm’s muscles didn’t unknot.

“Ghosts can go anywhere!”

“Want me to go look and see if someone’s out there?” Gil surrendered Malcolm fully to Jackie’s arms.

Malcolm grabbed his arm. “She’ll get you, Gil!”

“I’m a cop, remember? This is what I do.” 

Gil stood, fetched the flashlight out of the kitchen and tugged on his shoes. He opened the curtain, hating to see Malcolm flinch when he did. He went outside, flashed the light around, walked around the cabin just in case Malcolm had heard something, shone the light in the window to prove no one but him was outside. He returned and pulled the curtains. “All clear, I promise you.”

Malcolm’s lips trembled as tears flooded down. Once he and Jackie finally got Malcolm calmed, an hour later, he gave the boy a glass of water.

“Want me to stay with you until you’re asleep again?” Jackie said. “Gil can stay on the futon.”

“Please,” Malcolm whispered.

It was another hour before they were asleep upstairs. Gil hoped the morning would bring Malcolm peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Note: As with the rest of this trip I’m pulling from real things you can do. I used [ New England Outdoor Center’s](http://www.neoc.com/white-water-rafting-in-maine/?msclkid=ba0576ddc03b1b7d3f63283e2b0e2e5b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Rafting-%20Maine&utm_term=white%20water%20rafting%20in%20maine&utm_content=Rafting) resources for the white water trip and rating system (Gil was hoping for the soft adventure. Jackie and Malcolm wanted to die. Seriously though, I miss being able to white water raft)
> 
> [ Moose Safaris](https://northeastwhitewater.com/maine-moose-watching/private-moose-safaris/) are a real thing (and yes it’s a photo safari). Knowing me and my luck with whale watching trips, I’d have paid the cash for a relaxing moose-free time. Malcolm deserved to see a moose.
> 
> [ this](https://www.northernoutdoors.com/maine/logdominiums/) is the inspiration for their Maine ‘cabin.’


End file.
